---- Original Message ----
From: "VANCE,JEFF (HP-Cupertino,ex1)" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2002 11:55 PM
Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] COMMENTs not really COMMENTS?

> Wirt wrote:
>>     1. If line begins with comment symbol, skip to next line
>> immediately.
>
> So the CI grabs the first token, upshifts it (not inline) and if it
> is '#' or 'COMMENT' does the appropriate echoing to $STDLIST and reads
> the next line.

While I'd like to see a COMMENT be just that, and not be messed about with in
any way, there are two issues:

(i) Comments can currently be continued with the '&' convention. Would the
above break that?

(ii) People may be exploiting the existing behaviour, and a change will be
inconvenient for them.

I have seen the thoughts here on COMMENT/#. But it seems to me that perhaps a
new variable, HP_PARSE_COMMENTS, defaulting to YES as per the existing
behaviour, but settable to NO by the user for the new desired behaviour, would
be the ticket.

If set to NO, the  'blanks after / rule' should also not be applied. I too get
annoyed by spurious lockword/password detection that I'm seeing.

Not sure about the '&' continuation. But I reckon the strict observation of
HP_PARSE_COMMENTS=NO would require that it be considered as a literal
character only, and *not* act as a continuation.

--
Roy Brown

Posting with the OEnemy, tamed by OE-QuoteFix 1.17.1
http://jump.to/oe-quotefix

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